RE: Activists and the public

[Rich Puchalsky <rpuchalsky@att.net>]

Cynthia Peurifoy writes:
"I'd like to hear your recommendations as to how we can overcome the "stakeholder parity myth" that you spoke about. I think this is something that we experience frequently in environmental justice communities."

I don't think that there is any quick solution that EPA can use.  Putting out information and training helps those who already have time and interest, but doesn't do much to bring new people in.  Paying for people to attend makes them dependent on EPA and liable to real or perceived co-optation.  Assuming that EJ representatives represent a much larger number of people than representatives of other groups can be helpful, but can lead to tokenism and increased cooptation of those representatives.

Activist groups have a number of tried-and-true methods for getting people involved, based on both practical experience extending all the way back to the early labor unions and on academic research, but the EPA can't use those methods -- there is a big difference between saying "We think there is a problem, and if we all combine our efforts we can solve it" and saying "There may be a problem -- we want you to devote your time towards telling us whether you think there is one or not, so that we can do something about it maybe."

Basically, EPA staffers should do their best to get people in, and if they don't get people, then use their head.  Would they like the proposed facility in their neighborhood, next to their children, if their neighborhood was already polluted?  If not, people in that community probably wouldn't either.